On this day in 2018: Mark Hughes sacked as Stoke manager

On this day in 2018, Stoke sacked manager Mark Hughes following a 2-1 defeat to League Two Coventry in the FA Cup third round.

The Potters were dumped out of the competition when Jack Grimmer struck in the second half to find the winner and pull off a shock victory for the Sky Blues.

Stoke were in the Premier League relegation zone having won only one game in their last eight in all competitions.

Hughes was sacked just hours after the Coventry defeat and had suggested post-match that the defeat could be a blessing in disguise.

He said: “The fact we’ve gone out, even if it’s a little bit raw at the moment, might help us.

“At the moment we don’t want to discuss Premier League games, but maybe when we wake up on Monday the reality clearly has to be our league form.”

He questioned whether the result would affect his future, adding: “It just highlights we need to do better.

“But in the long term, certainly until the end of the season, it might be a blessing for us.”

Paul Lambert was appointed as Hughes’ successor but was unable to prevent Stoke from avoiding the drop into the Championship at the end of the season.

Hughes took charge of Southampton later in the season but was sacked in December of the following season with Saints in the relegation zone. He returned to management with League Two Bradford in February 2022 and was sacked in October of the following year.